Staying Focused!

School is back in session and it is time to get back to business! Trying to juggle homework, classes, a job, internships, and a social life, it is insane trying to get everything done! Being strapped for time like any typical college student just means that when the time finally opens up in our busy schedules, we must use it wisely and try to stay focused to the task at hand. It isn’t always easy – especially with so many distractions in our lives. Here are some tips to keep you focused:

Limit Distractions

Shut off anything that will distract you – television, cell phone, music, and social media sites. All of these things are very distracting and can end up consuming a lot of your attention for a longer period of time than expected. It’s harder to get distracted when you don’t have many things to distract you.

Always have your goals set at the beginning. The smaller the goal is, the easier it will be to accomplish. Having big tasks to complete can be discouraging, overwhelming, and definitely create a distraction from the worry of completing such a big task! At the least – trick yourself into thinking the task is small by creating several steps to complete for it, and as each step is completed you will feel relieved and ready to take on the next thing!

Being in the right setting is one of the most important factors to staying focused. Find the right environment in which you feel comfortable to get stuff done, but also one in which there are not many distractions around.

Figure out which goals are more important to accomplish than others. If you get the most important ones done first, the biggest stress will be lifted from you and you will now be able to complete other goals in a more relaxed state.

If you take frequent small breaks, then you will feel re-energized and well less likely feel an urge to be distracted. If you do end up getting distracted, you can convince yourself to hold out until your break. When your time for a break does come, think of it as a reward to yourself for your hard work! Just don’t prolong the break longer than it should be.